Efforts of Australian Government for Water and Energy Sustainability

Discuss about the Water and Energy Sustainability.

Water and energy are key elements in environmental sustainability. Governments are much concerned with these two element since they are able to affect the citizens in different ways. In addition, non-governmental organizations and private sectors also play large roles in implementation of different aspects of water and energy sustainability (Maheshwari, 2014). Research and key technological advancements are taken in each of the sectors to ensure the sustainability of the water and energy aspects. This paper will analyze the Australian and Canadian government efforts in the efforts of regulating the sustainability of these aspects as well as the NGO and private sector contributions. In addition, the paper will look at the different researches in both countries and the exemplar projects in the countries. Lastly, this paper will compare the actions of these two countries and the way they are faring. 

The Australian government has developed different programs and policies to ensure the sustainability of energy and water. On the energy sector, the Australian government has the renewable energy target, which regulates the homeowners to implement the use of reduced cost solar panel and solar water heaters through the RET scheme. In addition, the Australian energy market commission helps to regulate the production of electricity in the country. In addition, the GreePower helps the households and businesses to commit themselves in purchasing electricity from accredited renewable energy suppliers (Australian Housing And Urban Research Institute 2009). In addition, the Australian government implements the sustainable water management systems in order to offer water sustainability. In addition, through Australian Water Association (AWA), the government helps top protect the water sources such as the forests where the government helps to preserve the water catchments against any settlements (Setegn & Donoso 2015). Moreover, the government launched the Australia’s Strategic Plan in 2010 in order to enhance the water sustainability in the country by 2018. This plan has the rules and strategies governing the water usage and recycling measures, which would ensure that water, is not wasted. The plan also mandates different bodies to monitor the usage of water by different stakeholders. The government has different rules, which are governing the water consumption on both urban and rural areas to ensure sustainability.

In addition, the Australian government has taken adverse measures on research and technology of both water and energy strategies. First, the country has the energy white paper, which sets out the energy policy framework for delivering reliable energy supply. This is a technological measure, which the country uses to ensure that they reach their sustainability measure on energy. In addition, the country has the energy efficiency strategies, which are innovative to implement the renewable energy sources. The country targets to achieve a renewable energy sustainability by the year 2020 and this action call for innovation strategies. In addition, through Rural R&D for Profit the Australia government aims to achieve great innovation and research related topics on water sustainability (Barton 2006). The Rural research and development corporation, the country helps the rural area to fund the innovation strategies for the rural areas. All these departments help to fund the innovation and research on water issues to enhance the sustainability.

Efforts of Canadian Government for Water and Energy Sustainability

In addition, the NGOs and private sectors play a major role in achieving the sustainability of water and energy in the country (Goldie, Douglas & Furnass 2005). The NGOs and private sector have been funding individuals to research on methods which sustainability can be achieved. In addition, the private sector has been key on energy sustainability where they are funding renewable sustainable energy measures in the country. The Trilemma is a key example of a project, which has been used to enhance the water sustainability in Australia.

The Canadian government on the other hand has regulations, which are targeting the sustainability of water and energy. The country has enacted laws which are aimed at achieving the energy efficiency in order to increase the sustainability. Reduction of energy costs is one of the key regulation which the country focuses on in order to achieve its targets on energy sustainability. In addition, the government has involved other stakeholder and partners to enhance the sustainability. This can be seen through the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC), where the Canadian government aims to reduce the cost. In addition, the government has legislated the Energy and Transportation Sectors Regulations, which aims to achieve safe movement of energy resources (World Water & Environmental Resources Congress, Phelps & Sehlke 2005). This aims to increase the energy production and usage within the country to achieve the sustainability. Also, the government has regulations on the requirements for Energy-Using Products. In this section, the government regulated the energy using appliances to meet specific targets of energy consumptions. This action enhances the usage and consumption to achieve the required sustainability.

The Canadian government has also enacted water laws and regulations. The water regulation to protect the different water bodies in the country in order to achieve sustainability have been a key pillar for the government. First, the government has the Fisheries Act Regulations, which aims to control the safety and pollution measures of water bodies (Kinkade-Levario 2007). In addition, this act enhances the wastewater management for different purposes from different factories. The act helps to ensure that the factories maximizes on the usage of the water and not disposing it without proper management.  In addition, through Waters Protection Act, the government manages the different uses of its water bodies (Mitchell 1995). Through this act, the government ensures that it has details on the purposes of the water usage and controls the demand of the usage. In addition, the country has withdrawn regulations, which they have termed to be protecting their rivers and lakes (Allen 2013). The government argues that the rules have been preventing the achievement of the sustainability when the rules are imposed.

Role of NGOs and Private Sectors in Water and Energy Sustainability in both countries

Canada has a great focus on the renewable energy achievement. The country has been able to invest heavily on this sector in terms of innovation and research. The country has innovated on the biofuels and bioinvasions. These technologies are playing a big role in achieving the sustainability of energy in the country (World Water & Environmental Resources Congress, Phelps & Sehlke 2005). In addition, the country has different research centers such as Centre for Urban Energy (CUE) where they research in the sustainability issues of energy in the country (Bosselmann, Fogel & Ruhl 2011). In addition, the country has been researching on the moose spit fights toxic fungus in plants in the aim of attains water sustainability.

The private sector and NGOs have been playing a key role in the sustainability issues of water and energy in Canada. CanmetENERGY is an organization, which has been promoting the sustainability of energy in the country through renewable energy (National Round Table on The Environment and the Economy (Canada) 2009). The NGO focuses on clean fossils fuels and bioenergy in order to achieve the sustainability. Moreover, the organization focuses on the industrial processes to enhance the sustainability of energy in the country. In addition, through Ryerson Urban Water the private sector and NGOs are involved in the management and sustainability of water structure and issues in the country. Some of the major exemplar project in Canada on energy includes solar photovoltaic reverse osmosis (PVRO), which is a key energy sustainability of energy (World Water & Environmental Resources Congress, Sehlke, Hayes & Stevens, 2004). This project is key in the sustainability of the energy and achievement of the goals of the country. In addition, the country has the Canada has a tidal power plant in Nova Scotia which helps the country to promote the sustainability of the energy in the country. Aquaculture is a key project, which has been implemented in Canada to enhance the water security and safety(Allen 2013)The project is meant to enhance the safety measures of the water systems in the country and therefore enhancing the sustainability.

Canada and Australia have different management policies concerning the sustainability issues of water and energy. In this view, the policies are different due to the administration priorities and managements. For instance, Canada focuses on the use of different partners such as USA to achieve its goals. Australia on the other hand focuses on individual innovation and creativity to come up with methods for its sustainability. The Australian strategy on innovation about the renewable energy has been more successful in achieving the sustainability of energy. This is unlike the Canada strategy where it has been involving USA to achieve its goals. The Canadian method leads to more bureaucratic measures which will take time to solve the sustainability issues. From the above two cases, it can be noted that innovation and research plays a major role in coming up with strategies which will enhance the sustainability of water and energy in the world. Although involving other parties is important, the role of the NGO and private sector is key in the innovation strategies.

In conclusion, water and energy sustainability requires collaboration of different parties in the innovation and research. These parties will therefore enhance coming up with different strategies, which will enhance proper sustainability.

References

Allen, R. (2013). Water and the future of the Canadian economy. Toronto, Ont, Innovolve Group. https://www.deslibris.ca/ID/235121. 

Australian Housing And Urban Research Institute. (2009). Environmental sustainability in residential housing: understanding attitudes and behaviour towards waste, water, and energy consumption and conservation among Australian households. [Melbourne], Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. https://www.ahuri.edu.au/publications/download/20550_pp.

Barton, B. (2006). Regulating energy and natural resources. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Bosselmann, K., Fogel, D. S., & Ruhl, J. B. (2011). Berkshire encyclopedia of sustainability. Volume 3, Volume 3. Great Barrington, Mass, Berkshire Pub. Group. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=800600.

Goldie, J., Douglas, R. M., & Furnass, B. (2005). In search of sustainability. Collingwood, Vic, CSIRO Pub. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=276173.

Kinkade-Levario, H. (2007). Design for water: rainwater harvesting, stormwater catchment, and alternate water reuse. Gabriola, B.C., New Society Publishers. https://www.deslibris.ca/ID/420367.

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Mitchell, B. (1995). Resource and environmental management in Canada: addressing conflict and uncertainty. Toronto, Oxford University Press.

National Round Table On The Environment And The Economy (Canada). (2009). Charting a path: water and Canada’s natural resource sectors : discussion paper. Ottawa, National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. https://www.deslibris.ca/ID/218494.

Setegn, S. G., & Donoso, M. C. (2015). Sustainability of integrated water resources management: water governance, climate and ecohydrology.  https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=4178158.

World Water & Environmental Resources Congress, Phelps, D., & Sehlke, G. (2005). World Water Congress 2001: bridging the gap : meeting the world’s water and environmental resources challenges : World Water and Environmental Resources Congress 2001 : May 20-24, 2001, Orlando, Florida, USA. [New York], American Society of Civil Engineers. https://ascelibrary.aip.org/dbt/dbt.jsp?KEY=ASCECP&Volume=111&Issue=40569&bproc=year&scode=2001&confTitle=World+Water+Congress+2001.

World Water & Environmental Resources Congress, Sehlke, G., Hayes, D. F., & Stevens, D. K. (2004). Critical transitions in water and environmental resources management: proceedings of World Water and Environmental Resources Congress 2004, June 27-July 1, 2004, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Reston, Va, American Society of Civil Engineers. https://ascelibrary.org/isbn/978-0-7844-0737-0.